Swedish oat milk giant Oatly is to open its third US production facility in Fort Worth, Texas. At 280,000 square feet, it will be the company’s biggest factory in North America.
The new plant is expected to create 100 jobs and produce around 150 million litres of oat milk per year, with space to expand if needed. It will allow Oatly to meet the rapidly growing demand for its products, which is set to outpace supply.
Oatly’s existing US facilities are in Millville, New Jersey, and Ogden, Utah. The company says it plans to open several more facilities worldwide by 2023.
Recently, Oatly made headlines when it unsuccessfully sued British oat milk brand PureOaty for alleged copyright infringement. Despite this, Oatly continues to thrive — the company now has an enterprise value of almost $13 billion following its highly successful IPO in May. It also has plans to further expand into China, where it is already available at thousands of cafes and stores.
“Every time someone decides to take their coffee with oat milk or have an Oatgurt for their afternoon snack, we believe they’re making a choice that’s healthier for them and the planet. And more and more people are making those choices every day,” said Oatly’s North American President Mike Messersmith. “We’re excited to break ground on this factory in Fort Worth, which we believe will allow us to meet the growing demand for Oatly’s products and grow our positive impact on the planet.”
